Battery, system, battery damage calculation device, battery management method, battery management program, and recording medium

ABSTRACT

A battery has a case, an external environment information acquisition component, and an internal environment information acquisition component. The case houses one or more cells. The external environment information acquisition component acquires specific external environment information (such as temperature and amount of sunlight) on the outside of the case. The internal environment information acquisition component acquires specific internal environment information (such as temperature and humidity) on the inside of the case.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Application No.JP2015-049615, filed Mar. 12, 2015 and International ApplicationPCT/JP2016/052165, filed Jan. 26, 2016, both of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

One or more embodiments of the present invention generally relate to abattery, a system, a battery damage calculation device, a batterymanagement method, a battery management program, and a recording medium,and relates to a battery that is carried alone.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, batteries (so-called secondary cells) have been used asa power supply source for an electric car. An example of such batteriesis the battery pack discussed in Patent Literature 1 and 2.

Recent years have seen the advent of a system for loaning out aplurality of batteries to users of electric cars. With this system,batteries are loaned out to users of the system, and when a used batteryis returned from a user, it is exchanged (swapped) with another batterythat has been charged. For this reason, such systems are called abattery swap system.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2013-193738(disclosed on Sep. 30, 2013)

Patent Literature 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2013-223423(disclosed on Oct. 28, 2013)

SUMMARY

Battery cells, electronic circuitry, and other such precision parts arehoused in the outer case of a battery. The load to which such precisionparts are subjected (such as heat, moisture, and electrical current) isa main cause of damage to a battery.

Therefore, with a battery that is installed in an electric car or thelike, various sensors for acquiring internal environment informationabout the battery (such as a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, anda current sensor) can be provided so that the state of the battery canbe sensed.

On the other hand, as mentioned above, in a battery swap system, thebatteries are taken out of the electric car and carried in by the usersof the system.

For this reason, the environment of the battery while it was out on loanoften cannot be ascertained, and it cannot be determined whether thatbattery can be loaned out again, which may cause that the batteriescannot be properly managed.

In on or more embodiments, the battery comprises an outer case, anexternal environment information acquisition component, and an internalenvironment information acquisition component. The outer case houses oneor more cells. The external environment information acquisitioncomponent is configured to acquire specific external environmentinformation on an outside of the outer case. The internal environmentinformation acquisition component is configured to acquire specificinternal environment information on an inside of the outer case.

With this configuration, environment information can be acquired on theinside of the outer case as information related to the load on thebattery from the internal environment. Also, environment information canbe acquired on the outside of the outer case, when the outer case of thebattery is exposed to the external environment, as information relatedto the load on the battery from the external environment. The degree ofdamage to the battery or its usage state can be determined, for example,on the basis of the acquired environment information, so the state ofthe battery can be accurately ascertained, and the batteries can beproperly managed.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments of the invention isthe battery pertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein theexternal environment information acquisition component and the internalenvironment information acquisition component are same type of sensor.

With this configuration, changes on the outside and inside of the outercase due to the same kinds of environmental factors can be sensed, andthe effect that the external environment has on the internal environmentcan be ascertained.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the externalenvironment information acquisition component has one or moretemperature sensors, and the internal environment informationacquisition component has one or more temperature sensors. The specificexternal environment information is temperature on the outside of theouter case, and the specific internal environment information istemperature on the inside of the outer case.

With this configuration, the temperature on the inside of the outer caseand the temperature on the outside of the outer case can be used todetermine to high accuracy the usage state and the degree of damage tothe battery caused by temperature load (heat).

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the externalenvironment information acquisition component and the internalenvironment information acquisition component are different types ofsensor.

With this configuration, it is possible to acquire environmentinformation on the outside and inside due to different kinds ofenvironmental factors.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the externalenvironment information acquisition component has one or more sunlightsensors, and the internal environment information acquisition componenthas one or more temperature sensors. The specific external environmentinformation is an amount of sunlight on the outer case, and the specificinternal environment information is temperature on the inside of theouter case.

With this configuration, when the temperature on the inside of the outercase rises, the sunlight sensor can determine whether the temperaturerise is “caused by the user placing the battery in the sun” or “causedby a rise in air temperature.”

Therefore, when the temperature rise is due to how the battery is usedby the user, a warning can be issued to the user.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the internalenvironment information acquisition component has a plurality ofinternal environment information acquisition sensors disposed betweenthe cells and walls of the outer case.

With this configuration, the internal environment between the cells andthe walls of the outer case can be sensed more accurately. Also, thetemperature of the cells can be accurately estimated.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, further comprising a cellhousing case disposed on the inside of the outer case and formed so asto surround the one or more cells. At least one of the internalenvironment information acquisition sensors is disposed near the cellsand on the inside of the cell housing case, and at least one of theinternal environment information acquisition sensors is disposed on theinside of the outer case and on the outside of the cell housing case.

With this configuration, it is possible to accurately sense theenvironment on the inside and outside of the cell housing case, and onthe inside of the outer case.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, further comprising acommunication component configured to send the specific externalenvironment information acquired by the external environment informationacquisition component and the specific internal environment informationacquired by the internal environment information acquisition componentto an infatuation processing device configured to analyze environmentinformation about the battery.

When a communication component is thus provided, it is possible to sendinternal environment information and external environment informationabout the battery to the information processing device in real timewhile the battery is out on loan, and the degree of damage and the usagestate of the battery can be determined.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the informationprocessing device is a virtual server in cloud computing.

An information processing device may be provided as a virtual server incloud computing, and the communication component may transmit to thecloud computing system. The user can obtain the analysis results byaccessing the cloud computing system.

The system pertaining to one or more embodiments comprises the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments and an informationprocessing device. The information processing device has a batteryenvironment information acquisition component and an environmentinformation analysis component. The battery environment informationacquisition component is configured to acquire the specific externalenvironment information from the external environment informationacquisition component, and acquire the specific internal environmentinformation from the internal environment information acquisitioncomponent. The environment information analysis component is configuredto use the specific external environment information and the specificinternal environment information acquired by the battery environmentinformation acquisition component to analyze environment informationabout the battery.

With this configuration, since information about the environment ofbattery while it is out on loan can be obtained, the degree of damageand the usage state can be determined, and in a battery swap system, thestate of the batteries can be accurately ascertained, and the batteriescan be properly managed.

Also, the battery may have a communication component, an informationprocessing device may be provided as a cloud computing system, and thecommunication component may transmit to the cloud computing system. Theuser can obtain the analysis results by accessing the cloud computingsystem.

The system pertaining to one or more embodiments is the systempertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the environmentinformation analysis component has a damage calculator configured to usethe specific external environment information and the specific internalenvironment information acquired by the battery environment informationacquisition component to calculate degree of damage to the battery.

With this configuration, environment information taken from the insideand the outside of the outer case can be used to determine the degree ofdamage to the battery to a high accuracy.

This allows the degree of damage to the battery to be calculated, andwhether the battery should be inspected, repaired, discarded, etc., canbe determined on the basis of the degree of damage.

The system pertaining to one or more embodiments is the systempertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the environmentinformation analysis component further has a usability determinationcomponent configured to determine whether or not the battery can beused, on the basis of the degree of damage calculated by the damagecalculator.

With this configuration, whether to use a battery can be determinedautomatically on the basis of the degree of damage.

The system pertaining to one or more embodiments is the systempertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the environmentinformation analysis component has a usage state determination componentconfigured to use the specific external environment information and thespecific internal environment information acquired by the batteryenvironment information acquisition component to determine a usage stateof the battery.

With this configuration, the usage state of the battery while it was outon loan can be analyzed. That is, how the battery was handled by therenter can be evaluated, and it is possible to bring this to theattention of that renter.

The system pertaining to one or more embodiments is the systempertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the externalenvironment information acquisition component has a temperature sensor,and the specific external environment information is temperature on theoutside of the outer case. The internal environment informationacquisition component has one or more temperature sensors disposedbetween the cells and walls of the outer case, and the specific internalenvironment information is temperature on the inside of the outer case.The environment information analysis component estimates temperature ofthe cells on the basis of the values sensed by the temperature sensorhad by the external environment information acquisition component andthe temperature sensor had by the internal environment informationacquisition component.

With this configuration, the temperature of the cells can be accuratelyestimated on the basis of the temperature sensor on the outside of theouter case and the temperature sensor on the inside of the outer case.Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine the usage state andthe degree of damage to the cells.

The battery damage calculation device pertaining to one or moreembodiments comprises an external environment information acquisitioncomponent, an internal environment information acquisition component,and a damage calculator. The external environment informationacquisition component is configured to acquire specific externalenvironment information on an outside of the outer case of the battery.The internal environment information acquisition component is configuredto acquire specific internal environment information on an inside of theouter case. The damage calculator is configured to use the specificexternal environment information and the specific internal environmentinformation to calculate degree of damage to the battery.

With this configuration, the environment information on the inside andoutside of the outer case can be used to determine the degree of damageto the battery to high accuracy.

The battery management method pertaining to one or more embodiments is abattery management method for managing a battery comprising an outercase that houses one or more cells, the battery management methodcomprising an environment information acquisition step and anenvironment information analysis step. The environment informationacquisition step involves acquiring specific external environmentinformation on an outside of the outer case and specific internalenvironment information on an inside. The environment informationanalysis step involves using the specific external environmentinformation and the specific internal environment information acquiredin the environment information acquisition step to analyze environmentinformation about the battery.

With this configuration, it is possible to acquire environmentinformation on the inside of the outer case, as information about theload on the battery from the internal environment. Also, when the outercase of the battery is exposed to the external environment, environmentinformation on the outside of the outer case can be acquired asinformation about the load on the battery from the external environment.The acquired environment information can be used, for example, todetermine the usage state and the degree of damage to the battery, andto appropriately manage the battery.

The battery management method pertaining to one or more embodiments isthe battery management method pertaining to one or more otherembodiments, having a degree of damage calculation step and a usabilitydetermination step. The degree of damage calculation step involves usingthe specific external environment information and the specific internalenvironment information acquired in the environment informationacquisition step to calculate degree of damage to the battery. Theusability determination step involves determining whether or not thebattery can be used on the basis of the degree of damage calculated inthe degree of damage calculation step.

With this configuration, the environment information on the inside andoutside of the outer case can be used to determine the degree of damageto the battery to high accuracy.

The battery management method pertaining to one or more embodiments isthe battery management method pertaining to one or more otherembodiments, wherein the environment information analysis step has ausage state determination step of using the specific externalenvironment information and the specific internal environmentinformation acquired in the environment information acquisition step todetermine a usage state of the battery.

This makes it possible to analyze the usage state of the battery whileit was out on loan. That is, how the battery was handled by the renter,etc., can be evaluated, and it is possible to bring this to theattention of that renter.

The battery management method pertaining to one or more embodiments isthe battery management method pertaining to one or more otherembodiments, wherein the specific external environment information istemperature on the outside of the outer case, and the specific internalenvironment information is temperature on the inside of the outer case.The environment information analysis step has a cell interiortemperature estimation step and a degree of damage calculation step. Thecell interior temperature estimation step involves using the temperatureon the outside of the outer case and the temperature on the inside ofthe outer case acquired in the environment information acquisition stepto estimate temperature on the inside of the cells. The degree of damagecalculation step involves calculating the degree of damage to thebattery from a result of estimating the temperature on the inside of thecells in the cell interior temperature estimation step.

This allows environment information on the inside and outside of theouter case to be used to determine the usage state and the degree ofdamage to the battery to high accuracy.

The battery management program pertaining to one or more embodiments isa battery management program for managing a battery comprising an outercase that houses one or more cells, wherein the battery managementprogram causes a computer to execute a battery management methodcomprising an environment information acquisition step and anenvironment information analysis step. The environment informationacquisition step involves acquiring specific external environmentinformation on an outside of the battery and specific internalenvironment information on an inside. The environment informationanalysis step involves using the specific external environmentinformation and the specific internal environment information acquiredin the environment information acquisition step to analyze environmentinformation about the battery.

This allows environment information on the inside and outside of theouter case to be used to determine the usage state and the degree ofdamage to the battery to high accuracy.

One mode of utilization of the program may be a mode in which theprogram is transmitted through a transmission medium such as theInternet, or a transmission medium such as light, radio waves, soundwaves, etc., is read by a computer, and runs in conjunction with thecomputer. The program may also be provided to a server in a cloudcomputing system.

The recording medium pertaining to one or more embodiments is arecording medium to which the battery management program pertaining toone or more other embodiments is recorded, and which is configured to beprocessed by a computer.

Thus, the program may be recorded to a ROM or other such recordingmedium.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is a battery that iscarried in alone in a system in which a plurality of batteries areconfigured to be loaned out, the battery comprising an outer case and anexternal environment information acquisition component. The outer casehouses one or more cells. The external environment informationacquisition component is configured to acquire specific externalenvironment information on an outside of the outer case.

With this configuration, external environment information about theouter case of the battery while it was out on loan can be acquired.Therefore, the usage state and the degree of damage to the battery whileit was out on loan can be accurately determined.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, further comprising acommunication component configured to send the specific externalenvironment information acquired by the external environment informationacquisition component to an information processing device configured toanalyze environment information about the battery.

Thus providing a communication component allows external environmentinformation about the battery while it is out on loan to be sent to theinformation processing device in real time, and allows the usage stateand the degree of damage to the battery to be determined.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the informationprocessing device is a virtual server in cloud computing.

Thus, an information processing device may be provided as a virtualserver in cloud computing, and a communication component may transmit tothe cloud computing system. The user can obtain the analysis result byaccessing the cloud computing system.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, further comprising astorage component configured to store the specific external environmentinformation acquired by the external environment information acquisitioncomponent.

This makes it possible to record external environment information aboutthe battery while it was out on loan. Therefore, when the battery isreturned to the battery management device, the external environmentinformation stored in the battery can be used to determine the usagestate and the degree of damage to the battery.

The battery pertaining to one or more embodiments is the batterypertaining to one or more other embodiments, wherein the externalenvironment information acquisition component has at least one of thefollowing: a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a sunlight sensor,an illuminance sensor, an image sensor, a gas sensor, a sound wavesensor, a magnetic sensor, a radio wave sensor, and a submersion sensor.

A temperature sensor can measure the temperature on the outside of theouter case. A humidity sensor can measure the humidity on the outside ofthe outer case. A sunlight sensor and an illuminance sensor can sensesunlight or other light that shines on the outer case. This makes itpossible to determine that the battery has been left in the sun, etc. Animage sensor can sense an image of the outside of the outer case, so animage sensor can detect that the battery was left in an environment inwhich dust or other foreign matter was suspended. A gas sensor can sensesuspended gas in the outer case, and can sense the environment in whichthe battery was disposed while it was out on loan. A sound wave sensorcan also sense the environment in which the battery was disposed whileit was out on loan. A magnetic sensor and a radio wave sensor can detectthat a device that generates electromagnetic waves was disposed in thevicinity of the battery, etc. A submersion sensor can detect that theouter case was wetted by water.

One or more embodiments of the present invention allow batteries to beproperly managed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery swapsystem pertaining to one or more embodiments;

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of the layout of sensors in thecase of a battery used in a battery swap system pertaining to one ormore embodiments;

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of the layout of sensors in thecase of a battery used in a battery swap system pertaining to one ormore embodiments;

FIG. 2C is a diagram showing an example of the layout of sensors in thecase of a battery used in a battery swap system pertaining to one ormore embodiments;

FIG. 2D is a diagram showing an example of the layout of sensors in thecase of a battery used in a battery swap system pertaining to one ormore embodiments;

FIGS. 3a and 3b show examples of factors that cause damage to thebatteries in the battery swap system pertaining to one or moreembodiments;

FIGS. 4a and 4b show other examples of factors that cause damage to thebatteries in the battery swap system pertaining to one or moreembodiments;

FIGS. 5a and 5b show still other examples of factors that cause damageto the batteries in the battery swap system pertaining to one or moreembodiments;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the usability determinationprocessing executed by a controller in the battery swap systempertaining to one or more embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a graph of the results of estimating the cell internaltemperature with a temperature load damage calculator provided to thebattery swap system pertaining to one or more embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a graph of an example of sensed value acquired by a physicalload information acquisition component provided to a battery swap systempertaining to one or more embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a graph of experimental data indicating the relation betweenacceleration and degree of damage to a battery in a battery swap systempertaining to one or more embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery swapsystem pertaining to one or more embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow in the usage state determinationprocessing executed by the controller in a battery swap systempertaining to one or more embodiments;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery swapsystem pertaining to a modification example of one or more embodiments;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery swapsystem pertaining to a modification example of one or more embodiments;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery swapsystem pertaining to a modification example of one or more embodiments;and

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery swapsystem pertaining to a modification example of one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail.

Battery Swap System 1

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery swapsystem 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as the system 1) pertaining to one ormore embodiments. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 1 includes a battery 10and a battery management device 20. Although only one battery 10 isshown in FIG. 1, the system 1 actually includes a plurality of batteries10.

The system 1 loans out a plurality of batteries 10 to users of thesystem 1. After the batteries 10 are loaned out to the users of thesystem 1, they are installed in vehicles such as electric cars and usedas the electrical power supply to the vehicle. After this, the batteries10 are returned to the station of the system 1. The returned batteries10 are recharged at the station and then loaned out again to other usersof the system 1.

Although not depicted, the system 1 may further comprise a capacitorinformation acquisition component that uses various sensors (such as acurrent sensor, a power sensor, a voltage sensor, and a temperaturesensor) to acquire information about cells 12 (power storage units).Also, the system may further comprise a usage load informationacquisition component that uses various sensors (such as a currentsensor, a power sensor, and a voltage sensor) to acquire informationabout power usage load.

Battery 10

As shown in FIG. 1, the battery 10 comprises a damage factor informationacquisition component 11 (sensor), the cells 12, an information outputcomponent 13, an information accumulator 14, a storage component 15, acell housing case 18, and a CPU 16. The various components of thebattery 10 (more precisely, excluding an external environmentinformation acquisition component 11 b of the damage factor informationacquisition component 11) are housed in a case 17 (outer case) (see FIG.2).

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the configuration of the battery 10, andshows an example of the layout of various sensors (discussed below). Asshown in FIG. 2A, a plurality of cells 12 are disposed close to eachother in the case 17. These cells 12 are surrounded by the cell housingcase 18 disposed inside the case 17. The CPU 16 is disposed inside thecase 17 and outside the cell housing case 18. Nine of the cells 12 aredisposed in three rows, in each of which three cells are disposed in astraight line. The CPU 16 is disposed on an electronic board 16 a, andthe electronic board 16 a is surrounded by an electronic board housingcase 19.

The cell housing case 18 and the electronic board housing case 19 havethe functions of protecting and waterproofing the components they house.

Damage Factor Information Acquisition Component 11

The damage factor information acquisition component 11 acquires damagefactor infatuation, which is information related to factors that damagea battery 10. Damage factors include physical load, electronic load,thermal load, moisture, and the like. Examples of damage factors will begiven below. The damage factor information acquired by the damage factorinformation acquisition component 11 is outputted to the informationaccumulator 14.

As shown in FIG. 1, the damage factor information acquisition component11 includes an internal environment information acquisition component 11a, an external environment information acquisition component 11 b, and aphysical load information acquisition component 11 c (physical loadsensor).

FIGS. 2A to 2D show examples of the layout of the damage factorinformation acquisition component 11 (the internal environmentinformation acquisition component 11 a, the external environmentinformation acquisition component 11 b, and the physical loadinformation acquisition component 11 c) in the case 17 of the battery10.

Internal Environment Information Acquisition Component 11 a

The internal environment information acquisition component 11 a acquiresinformation about the internal environment, which is the environmentwithin the case 17 of the battery 10, as damage factor information.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, the internal environment informationacquisition component 11 a comprises case internal temperature sensors30, cell external temperature sensors 31, submergence sensors 32, and anelectromagnetic wave sensor 33, as internal environment acquisitionsensors. The case internal temperature sensors 30 sense the temperatureinside the case 17, the cell external temperature sensors 31 sense thetemperature outside the cells 12, and the submergence sensors 32 senseinformation indicating whether the battery 10 has been submerged. Theinternal environment information acquired by the internal environmentinformation acquisition component 11 a includes the values (sensingresults) sensed by the case internal temperature sensors 30, the cellexternal temperature sensors 31, the submergence sensors 32, and theelectromagnetic wave sensor 33.

The internal environment information acquisition component 11 a need notinclude all of the above-mentioned types of sensors, and may include anyone of these types of sensor.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the case internal temperature sensors 30 providedto the internal environment information acquisition component 11 a aredisposed in the four corners inside the case 17, which is rectangular inshape, and the cell external temperature sensors 31 are disposed nearthe cells 12. The cell external temperature sensors 31 are disposedinside the cell housing case 18 that surrounds the cells 12.

The submergence sensors 32 can be, for example, a moisture detectionsensor that reads a change in the resistance value when water adheres toit. The submersion sensors 32 may also detect submergence by sensing thecolor of a submergence detection seal with an image sensor. Thesubmersion sensors 32 are disposed inside the cell housing case 18 alongwith the cells 12. As shown in FIG. 2A, the submersion sensors 32 may bedisposed inside the case 17 and outside the cell housing case 18.Furthermore, the submergence sensors 32 may be disposed inside theelectronic board housing case 19. This makes it possible to determine upto what level water has penetrated.

The electromagnetic wave sensor 33 detects electromagnetic waves, andcan detect that a device generating electromagnetic waves has approachedthe battery 10, for example. As shown in FIG. 2A, the electromagneticwave sensor 33 may be disposed inside the case 17 and in the vicinity ofthe CPU 16. Disposing the electromagnetic wave sensor 33 in the vicinityof the CPU 16 allows the effect on the CPU 16 to be sensed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the internal environment information acquisitioncomponent 11 a may also comprise one or more of the following: ahumidity sensor 34, an image sensor 35, a gas sensor 36, an ultrasonicsensor 37, a magnetic sensor 38, and a radio wave sensor 39. FIG. 2B isa diagram showing an example of the layout of these sensors.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the humidity sensors 34 may be disposed inside thecell housing case 18 or outside the cell housing case 18, and inside thecase 17. The humidity sensors 34 sense the humidity inside the case 17.The humidity sensors 34 may be housed inside the cell housing case 18.It is also possible to detect water wetting with the humidity sensors34.

As shown in FIG. 2B, for example, the image sensor 35 may be disposed onan inner face of the case 17. The image sensor 35 can detect intrusionof foreign matter such as dust, for example.

As shown in FIG. 2B, for example, the gas sensors 36 may be disposedinside the case 17 and inside or outside the cell housing case 18. Thegas sensors 36 can detect the incursion of gas into the case 17 and cansense the environment in which the battery 10 was disposed while it wasout on loan. The ultrasonic sensor 37 may be disposed inside the case 17as shown in FIG. 2B. The magnetic sensor 38 and the radio wave sensor 39may be disposed inside the case 17 and in the vicinity of the CPU 16, asshown in FIG. 2B. Disposing the magnetic sensor 38 and the radio wavesensor 39 in the vicinity of the CPU 16 allows the effect on the CPU 16to be detected.

When the internal environment information acquisition component 11 acomprises the above-mentioned types of sensors, the internal environmentinformation acquired by the internal environment information acquisitioncomponent 11 a includes the values (sensing results) sensed by thehumidity sensors 34, the image sensor 35, the gas sensors 36, theultrasonic sensor 37, the magnetic sensor 38, and the radio wave sensor39.

A vibration sensor 51 of the physical load information acquisitioncomponent 11 c (discussed below) may be had by the internal environmentinformation acquisition component 11 a.

Also, there are no limitations on the positions and numbers of thesensors described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B.

External Environment Information Acquisition Component 11 b

The external environment information acquisition component 11 b acquiresinformation about the external environment, which is the environmentoutside the case 17 of the battery 10, as damage factor information.

As shown in FIG. 1, the external environment information acquisitioncomponent 11 b comprises case external temperature sensors 40 andsunlight sensors 41. The external environment information includes thesensing values produced by the case external temperature sensors 40 andthe sunlight sensors 41.

The external environment information acquisition component 11 b need notinclude both of the above-mentioned two types of sensor, and may includejust one of them.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the case external temperature sensors 40 and thesunlight sensors 41 of the external environment information acquisitioncomponent 11 b are disposed at the four corners on the outside of therectangular case 17. The case external temperature sensors 40 canmeasure the temperature outside the case 17. More precisely, as will bediscussed below, the temperature of the cells 12 can be accuratelysensed on the basis of the values sensed by the case internaltemperature sensors 30 and the cell external temperature sensors 31.

The sunlight sensors 41 sense how long the battery 10 is exposed to thesun, and can detect, for example, that the battery 10 is left in thesunshine by the user.

The external environment information acquisition component 11 b maycomprise one or more of the following: a luminance sensor 42, an imagesensor 43, a gas sensor 44, an ultrasonic sensor 45, a magnetic sensor46, a radio wave sensor 47, a submergence sensor 48, and a humiditysensor 49.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the luminance sensor 42 is disposed on the outersurface of the case 17, for example, and can sense the brightness of thelight that shines on the battery 10. As shown in FIG. 2C, the imagesensor 43 is disposed, for example, on the outer surface of the case 17,and can sense, as an image, the environment where the battery 10 isdisposed. The image sensor 43 makes it possible to detect that thebattery was placed in an environment in which foreign matter such asdust was suspended, for example. As shown in FIG. 2C, the gas sensor 44is disposed on the outer surface of the case 17, for example, and cansense the environment in which the battery 10 was disposed while out onloan. As shown in FIG. 2C, the sound wave sensor 45 is disposed on theouter surface of the case 17, for example, and can detect sound waves.The magnetic sensor 46 and the radio wave sensor 47 may be disposed onthe outer surface of the case 17 and in the vicinity of the CPU 16.Disposing the magnetic sensor 46 and the radio wave sensor 47 in thevicinity of the CPU 16 allows the effect on the CPU 16 to be sensed.

The submergence sensor 48 is provided outside the case 17, and just aswith the above-mentioned submersion sensor 32, submersion may bedetected using a moisture detection sensor, or may be detected bysensing the color of a submergence detection seal by an image sensor.The submersion sensor 48 can detect that the case 17 has been wettedwith water.

The humidity sensor 49 is provided outside of the case 17, and sensesthe humidity outside the battery 10.

In FIG. 2C, only one of each of the luminance sensor 42, the imagesensor 43, the gas sensor 44, the ultrasonic sensor 45, the magneticsensor 46, the radio wave sensor 47, the submergence sensor 48, and thehumidity sensor 49 is provided, but a plurality of them may be disposedaround the case 17, as with the case external temperature sensors 40 andthe humidity sensor 49 in FIG. 2A. For example, in the case of theilluminance sensor 42, it may be provided on all sides so that it canperform its sensing no matter which side is facing the sun.

The battery 10 may comprise, inside the case 17 at least one internalenvironment information acquisition component 11 a that acquiresspecific environment information, and outside the case 17 at least oneexternal environment information acquisition component 11 b thatacquires the corresponding (same) environment information. In FIG. 2A,the case internal temperature sensors 30 of the internal environmentinformation acquisition component 11 a sense the temperature inside thecase 17 as specific environment information, and the case externaltemperature sensors 40 sense the temperature outside the case 17 ascorresponding environment information.

The specific environment information acquired on the inside of the case17 and the corresponding environment information acquired on the outsideof the case 17 are used to calculate the degree of damage to the battery10. For instance, the temperature in the cells 12 is estimated (see FIG.7) from the temperature inside the case 17 (specific environmentinformation) and the temperature outside the case 17 (correspondingenvironment information). The degree of damage to the battery 10 basedon the temperature load is calculated from the estimated temperatureinside the cells 12.

A plurality of the case internal temperature sensors 30 are disposedbetween the cells 12 and the walls 17 a of the case 17. More precisely,the case internal temperature sensors 30 are disposed in the fourcorners inside the case 17 and in the cell housing case 18. This allowsa change in temperature from the cells 12 toward the outside to bedetected, and allows the temperature in the cells 12 to be estimatedmore accurately.

The specific environment information and the corresponding environmentinformation are not limited to temperature. For example, the specificenvironment information and the corresponding environment informationmay be humidity, or may be whether or not the battery 10 has beensubmerged.

Also, the specific environment information acquired by the internalenvironment information acquisition component 11 a (specific internalenvironment information) and the specific environment informationacquired by the external environment information acquisition component11 b (specific external environment information) are not limited tobeing the same type of information, and may instead be different typesof information. For example, the specific environment informationacquired by the internal environment information acquisition component11 a may be temperature, and the specific environment informationacquired by the external environment information acquisition portion 11b may be illuminance.

Physical Load Information Acquisition Component 11 c

The physical load information acquisition component 11 c acquiresphysical load information, which is information about the physical loadto which the battery 10 is subjected, as damage factor information.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, the physical load information acquisitioncomponent 11 c comprises an acceleration sensor 50, a vibration sensor51, a strain sensor 52, and an impact sensor 53. The physical loadinformation includes the various values sensed by the accelerationsensor 50, the vibration sensor 51, the strain sensor 52, and the impactsensor 53.

The physical load information acquisition component 11 c need notinclude all of the types of sensors mentioned above, and may comprise asensor of any one type.

In FIG. 2A, the acceleration sensor 50 of the physical load informationacquisition component 11 c is disposed in one corner of the case 17 ofthe battery 10. The acceleration sensor 50 may be disposed anywhereinside or outside the battery 10 (on an outer face of the case 17,etc.).

When the physical load information acquisition component 11 c has theacceleration sensor 50, acceleration information about battery 10 isacquired. Therefore, how much acceleration the battery 10 was subjectedto can be ascertained on the basis of the acquired accelerationinformation, so the degree of damage and the usage state of the batterycan be determined. Also, the acceleration sensor 50 can be used to senseinformation such as the direction in which the battery 10 was dropped,for example.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the vibration sensor 51 is disposed in the case 17,but just as with the acceleration sensor 50, it may be disposed anywhereinside or outside the battery 10 (such as on an outer face of the case17). The vibration sensor 51 senses what kind of vibration the battery10 was subjected to (vibration information), so the degree of damage andthe usage state of the battery 10 can be determined.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the strain sensor 52 is provided on an inner wallof the case 17, for example, and senses information about the strain onthe case 17 produced by the physical load exerted on the case 17. Thestrain sensor 52 senses what kind of impact or the like the battery 10was subjected to, so the degree of damage and the usage state of thebattery 10 can be determined. A strain gauge can be used as the strainsensor 52, for example. Also, strain sensors 52 may be disposed on allof the faces of the case 17, which will allow information such as whichface is subjected to a load (such as which face is subjected to animpact, on which face the battery is dropped, or other such information)to be sensed. The strain sensor 52 may be provided on either an inner orouter face of the case 17. Also, when strain sensors 52 are provided toboth the cell housing case 18 and the case 17 surrounding the cells 12,it can be determined whether or not an impact has reached the inside,and the degree of damage can be determined more precisely. Furthermore,when the strain sensor 52 is provided to the electronic board housingcase 19 that houses the electronic board in the battery 10, it can bedetermined whether an impact has reached the electronic board 16 a.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the impact sensor 53 is disposed in the case 17,but just as with the acceleration sensor 50, the impact sensor 53 may bedisposed anywhere inside or outside the battery 10 (such as on an outerface of the case 17). The impact sensor 53 senses impacts to which thebattery 10 is subjected (impact information), so the degree of damageand the usage state of the battery 10 can be determined.

The physical load information acquisition component 11 c may comprise atleast one of the following: a pressure sensor 54, a tilt sensor 55, aposition sensor 56, and a speed sensor 57.

FIG. 2D is a diagram showing an example of the layout of the pressuresensor 54, the tilt sensor 55, the position sensor 56, and the speedsensor 57.

As shown in FIG. 2D, the pressure sensor 54 is disposed outside the case17, and can sense the pressure to which the battery 10 is subjected.Because the pressure to which the battery was subjected (pressureinformation) can thus be ascertained, the degree of damage and the usagestate of the battery 10 can be determined. Although the pressure sensor54 is disposed at only one site in FIG. 2D, pressure sensors 54 can bedisposed on a plurality of faces of the battery 10 in order to acquireinformation such as which face was subjected to an impact, or on whichface the battery was dropped.

An air pressure sensor may also be used as the pressure sensor 54. Asshown in FIG. 2D, when an air pressure sensor 541 is provided in thecell housing case 18 of the case 17, when the case 17 (a sealedcontainer) is damaged, it will be possible to detect minute damage.

As shown in FIG. 2D, the tilt sensor 55 is disposed inside the casing17, and senses inclination of the battery 10 while it is out on loan(inclination information). This makes it possible to acquire informationrelated to the disposition orientation of the battery 10 while it is outon loan.

The position sensor 56 is disposed inside the casing 17 in FIG. 2D, andsenses the position in the height direction of the battery 10 (positioninformation). Thus sensing the position in the height direction allowsspeed and acceleration to be calculated.

As shown in FIG. 2D, the speed sensor 57 is disposed inside the casing17, and senses the speed of the battery 10 (speed information).Acceleration information can be calculated from the movement speed ofthe battery 10.

Examples of Damage Factors

Examples of factors that cause damage to the battery 10 will bedescribed through reference to FIGS. 3a and 3b to 5a and 5 b.

FIGS. 3a and 3b show examples of damage factors by which the battery 10is damaged when the internal environment of the battery 10 is changed.In FIG. 3a , electromagnetic waves applied to the battery 10 (electronicload) are a damage factor, and in FIG. 3b , moisture entering theinterior of the battery 10 (water wetting) is a damage factor. As shownin FIG. 3a , when the battery 10 is irradiated with electromagneticwaves, the CPU 16 of the battery 10 may malfunction and the interior ofthe battery 10 may be damaged. Also, as shown in FIG. 3b , when thebattery 10 is submerged in water, moisture that finds its way into theinterior of the battery 10 tends to produce condensation inside thebattery 10. Water droplets produced by this condensation can lead tomalfunction of the CPU 16 of the battery 10, so this is a factor thatcan damage the battery 10.

FIGS. 4a and 4b show examples of damage factors by which the battery 10is damaged by changing the external environment of the battery 10. InFIG. 4a , direct sunlight shining on the battery 10 when the battery 10is left outdoors, etc., (thermal load) is a damage factor. When thebattery 10 is exposed to direct sunlight, the temperature of the battery10 rises. Also, in FIG. 4b , a high temperature to which the battery 10is exposed (thermal load) is a damage factor. When the battery 10 isexposed to a high temperature, the temperature of the battery 10 rises.When the battery 10 is left at a high temperature for an extended periodof time, there is a possibility that the battery 10 will be damaged.

FIGS. 5a and 5b show examples of physical load as a damage factor. InFIGS. 5a and 5b , an impact to which the battery 10 is subjected(physical load) is a damage factor. As shown in FIG. 5a , when the userof the system 1 drops the battery 10, there will be a collision betweenthe battery 10 and the ground, and the battery 10 will be subjected to apowerful impact. Also, as shown in FIG. 5b , when a vehicle in which thebattery 10 is installed collides with another vehicle, the battery 10will be subjected indirectly to a powerful impact (physical load). Whenthe battery 10 is thus subjected to a large impact, there is thepossibility that the interior of the battery 10 (mainly the structuralcomponents, supporting members that support these components, etc.) willseparate or break.

Cells 12, CPU 16

The cells 12 are cells of a secondary battery. As shown in FIGS. 2A to2D, the battery 10 comprises a plurality of cells 12. Each cell 12 canbe charged with electricity supplied from outside of the battery 10, andcan discharge the stored electric power. Switching between charging anddischarging of the cells 12 is controlled by the CPU 16.

Information Output Component 13, Information Accumulator 14

The information accumulator 14 stores the damage factor informationinputted from the damage factor information acquisition component 11 inthe storage component 15. Also, the information accumulator 14 outputsthe damage factor information accumulated in the storage component 15 tothe information output component 13. The information output component 13outputs the damage factor information inputted from the informationaccumulator 14 as output information to an output informationacquisition component 211 of the battery management device 20.

Storage Component 15

Damage factor information is stored in the storage component 15 by theinformation accumulator 14. The damage factor information includes theinternal environment information acquired by the internal environmentinformation acquisition component 11 a, the external environmentinformation acquired by the external environment information acquisitioncomponent 11 b, and the physical load information acquired by thephysical load information acquisition component 11 c.

Battery Management Device 20

As shown in FIG. 1, the battery management device 20 comprises acontroller 21 (information processing device) and a display component22. The controller 21 comprises the output information acquisitioncomponent 211, a damage calculator 212, and a usability determinationcomponent 213. The components of the controller 21 use the outputinformation outputted from the battery 10 (that is, damage factorinformation) to calculate the damage degree of the battery 10 and toexecute usability determination processing of determining whether or notthe battery 10 can continue to be used. The controller 21 then causesthe display component 22 to display the determination result of theusability determining processing. In a modification example, thecontroller 21 may present the determination result of the usabilitydetermining processing to the user by some means other than a display.The usability determination processing will be described in detailbelow. Also, the damage calculator 212 and the usability determinationcomponent 213 correspond to examples of a physical load informationanalysis component.

Output Information Acquisition Component 211

The output information acquisition component 211 acquires outputinformation from the information output component 13 of the battery 10.The output information acquired by the output information acquisitioncomponent 211 is the damage factor information acquired by the damagefactor information acquisition component 11 of the battery 10, andincludes internal environment information, external environmentinformation, and physical load information. The output informationacquisition component 211 outputs the acquired output information to thedamage calculator 212.

Damage Calculator 212

The damage calculator 212 uses the output information inputted from theoutput information acquisition component 211 to calculate the four typesof degree of damage described below (the degree of physical load damage,the degree of temperature load damage, the degree of electronic loaddamage, and the degree of water wetting damage). Information related tothe calculated degree of damage is then outputted to the usabilitydetermination component 213. As shown in FIG. 1, the damage calculator212 includes a water wetting damage calculator 212 a, an electronic loaddamage calculator 212 b, a temperature load damage calculator 212 c, anda physical load damage calculator 212 d. In a modification example, thedamage calculator 212 may calculate some index other than degree ofdamage, so long as it is one that indicates the usage state of thebattery.

Water Wetting Damage Calculator 212 a

The water wetting damage calculator 212 a calculates the degree of waterwetting damage, which is the degree of damage to the battery 10 causedby water wetting (see FIG. 3b ). To that end, the water wetting damagecalculator 212 a selects internal environment information from theoutput information. As described above, the internal environmentinformation includes the various values sensed by the case internaltemperature sensors 30, the cell external temperature sensors 31, thesubmergence sensors 32, and the electromagnetic wave sensor 33. Thewater wetting damage calculator 212 a uses the values sensed by thesubmergence sensors 32 to calculate the degree of water wetting damageto the battery 10. Alternatively, when the internal environmentinformation acquisition component 11 a is equipped with the humiditysensors 34, the water wetting damage calculator 212 a can also use thevalues sensed by the humidity sensors 34 to calculate the degree ofwater wetting damage to the battery 10.

For example, the degree of water wetting damage may correspond to thefrequency of malfunction of the CPU 16 of the battery 10. In this case,the correlation (mathematical model) between the values sensed by thesubmergence sensors 32 and the frequency of malfunction of the CPU 16 ofthe battery 10 is learned in advance by experimentation. The waterwetting damage calculator 212 a calculates the degree of water wettingdamage (the frequency of malfunction due to water wetting) from thevalues sensed by the submergence sensors 32, on the basis of the learnedcorrelation.

Electronic Load Damage Calculator 212 b

The electronic load damage calculator 212 b calculates the degree ofelectronic load damage, which is the degree of damage to the battery 10due to electronic load (see FIG. 3a ). Electronic load includes radiowaves, magnetism, and electromagnetic waves to which the battery 10 isexposed. The electronic load damage calculator 212 b selects internalenvironment information from the output information. The electronic loaddamage calculator 212 b uses the value sensed by the electromagneticwave sensor 33 of the internal environment information acquisitioncomponent 11 a to calculate the degree of electronic load damage.Alternatively, when the internal environment information acquisitioncomponent 11 a is equipped with the magnetic sensor 38 and the radiowave sensor 39, the electronic load damage calculator 212 b can use thevalue sensed by the magnetic sensor 38, the value sensed by the radiowave sensor 39, or a combination of these to calculate the degree ofelectronic load damage to the battery 10.

For example, when the degree of electronic load damage corresponds tothe frequency of malfunction of the CPU 16 of the battery 10, thecorrelation between the value sensed by the electromagnetic wave sensor33 and the frequency of occurrence of malfunction of the CPU 16 of thebattery 10 is learned in advance by experimentation. The electronic loaddamage calculator 212 b then calculates the degree of electronic loaddamage (the frequency of malfunction due to electronic load) from thevalue sensed by the electromagnetic wave sensor 33 on the basis of thelearned correlation.

Temperature Load Damage Calculator 212 c

The temperature load damage calculator 212 c uses the temperature insidethe cells 12 (the cell internal temperature) to calculate the degree ofdamage to the battery 10 due to temperature load (degree of temperatureload damage) (see FIGS. 4a and 4b ).

For example, when the degree of temperature load damage corresponds tothe frequency of malfunction of the CPU 16 of the battery 10, thecorrelation between the cell internal temperature and the frequency ofoccurrence of malfunction of the CPU 16 of the battery 10 is learned inadvance by experimentation. The temperature load damage calculator 212 cthen calculates the degree of temperature load damage (the frequency ofmalfunction due to temperature load) from the cell internal temperatureon the basis of the learned correlation.

Here, since the damage factor information acquisition component 11 isnot equipped with temperature sensors in the cells 12 (see FIG. 2A), thecell internal temperature cannot be acquired. In view of this, thetemperature load damage calculator 212 c selects external environmentinformation and internal environment information from the outputinformation. The temperature load damage calculator 212 c then estimatesthe cell internal temperature from the temperature around the cells 12(that is, the values sensed by the case internal temperature sensors 30and the cell external temperature sensors 31 of the internal environmentinformation acquisition component 11 a, and the values sensed by thecase external temperature sensors 40 of the external environmentinformation acquisition component 11 b). The specific method forestimating cell internal temperature will be described in detail below.

Physical Load Damage Calculator 212 d

The physical load damage calculator 212 d calculates the degree ofdamage to the battery 10 (mainly the structural components) due tophysical load (degree of physical load damage) (see FIGS. 5a and 5b ).To that end, the physical load damage calculator 212 d selects physicalload information from the output information. The physical load damagecalculator 212 d uses the values sensed by the acceleration sensor 50,the vibration sensor 51, the strain sensor 52, and the impact sensor 53of the physical load information acquisition component 11 c to calculatethe degree of physical load damage.

For example, the degree of physical load damage may correspond to thedegree of damage to the structural components and support members of thebattery 10. In this case, the correlation between the values sensed bythe acceleration sensor 50, the vibration sensor 51, the strain sensor52, and the impact sensor 53 and the degree of damage to the battery 10is learned in advance by experimentation. The physical load damagecalculator 212 d then calculates the degree of physical load damage (thedegree of damage to the structural components and support members due tophysical load) from the values sensed by the acceleration sensor 50, thevibration sensor 51, the strain sensor 52, and the impact sensor 53 onthe basis of the learned correlation.

Usability Determination Component 213

The usability determination component 213 determines whether or not thefour kinds of degree of damage calculated by the various components ofthe damage calculator 212 (the degree of physical load damage, thedegree of temperature load damage, the degree of electronic load damage,and the degree of water wetting damage) exceed their respectivethresholds. Then, when at least one of the degrees of damage exceeds itsthreshold, the usability determination component 213 determines that thebattery 10 cannot be continued to be used. On the other hand, when allfour kinds of degree of damage are at or under their thresholds, theusability determination component 213 determines that it is possible tocontinue using the battery 10. The threshold may be different for eachtype of degree of damage.

The above-mentioned threshold may be decided using experimental datashowing the correlation between the degree of damage and the damagefactors (electronic load, water wetting, electronic load, physicalload). The specific method for deciding the thresholds will be describedin detail below.

Usability Determination Processing

The flow of usability determination processing executed by thecontroller 21 will now be described through reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6is a flowchart showing the flow of the usability determinationprocessing. However, S10 and S20 shown in FIG. 6 are executed in thebattery 10 as a preliminary stage to usability determination processingby the controller 21.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the usability determination processing, thedamage factor information acquisition component 11 acquires damagefactor information, and the information accumulator 14 stores the damagefactor information in the storage component 15 (S10).

Next, the information output component 13 outputs the damage factorinformation as output information (S20). The output informationacquisition component 211 acquires the output information outputted fromthe information output component 13, that is, the damage factorinformation (S30, environment information acquisition step).

The various components of the damage calculator 212 use the outputinformation acquired from the output information acquisition component211 (damage factor information) to calculate the degree of damage to thebattery 10 (S40, environment information analysis step, damagecalculation step). The usability determination component 213 determineswhether or not the degree of damage to the battery 10 calculated by thedamage calculator 212 is at or below the threshold (S50, environmentinformation analysis step, usability determination step). Moreprecisely, the usability determination component 213 determines whetheror not each of the four types of degree of damage calculated by thedamage calculator 212 is at or below the threshold.

Here, when the degree of damage to the battery 10 due to temperatureload is calculated, the damage calculator 212 uses the various outputinformation indicating the case external temperature and case internaltemperature to estimate the cell internal temperature before S40 (cellinternal temperature estimation step) (see “method for estimating celltemperature”). Then, in S40, the damage calculator 212 uses theestimated cell internal temperature to calculate the degree of damage tothe battery 10 due to temperature load.

When degree of damage to the battery 10 (at least one of the four typesof degree of damage) is not at or below the threshold (No in S50), theusability determination component 213 causes the display component 22 todisplay a message of “cannot continue using battery 10” (S60). On theother hand, when the degree of damage to the battery 10 is at or belowthe threshold (Yes in S50), the usability determination component 213causes the display component 22 to display a message of “can continueusing battery 10” (S70). This concludes the usability determinationprocessing.

Method for Estimating Cell Internal Temperature

How the temperature load damage calculator 212 c calculates thetemperature inside the cells 12 (cell internal temperature) using thecase external temperature, the case internal temperature, and the cellexternal temperature will be described through reference to FIG. 7. FIG.7 is a diagram showing an example of the result of estimating the cellinternal temperature with the temperature load damage calculator 212 c.Let us consider two cases: when the case external temperature is higherthan the case internal temperature and the cell external temperature,and when the case external temperature is lower than the case internaltemperature and the cell external temperature. We will assume the cellexternal temperature to be the same in both cases. The case externaltemperature is sensed by the case external temperature sensors 40, thecase internal temperature is sensed by the case internal temperaturesensors 30, and the cell external temperature is sensed by the cellexternal temperature sensors 31.

Since the case external temperature corresponds to the outside airtemperature, when the case external temperature is higher than the caseinternal temperature and cell external temperature, the outside airtemperature is considered to be higher than the cell internaltemperature. Also, the cell internal temperature is considered lesslikely than the cell external temperature to be affected by the outsideair temperature. Therefore, when the case external temperature is higherthan the case internal temperature and the cell external temperature (inFIG. 7, when the outside air temperature is high), the cell internaltemperature is considered to be lower than outside the cell externaltemperature. In view of this, the temperature load damage calculator 212c estimates the cell internal temperature to be lower than the cellexternal temperature by extending a curve that passes through the caseexternal temperature, the case internal temperature, and the cellexternal temperature, as shown in FIG. 7.

On the other hand, when the case external temperature is lower than thecase internal temperature and the cell external temperature, the cellinternal temperature is considered to be higher than the outside airtemperature because of heat generated inside the cells 12. Also, whenheat is generated inside the cells 12, the cell internal temperature isconsidered to be higher than the cell external temperature. Therefore,when the cell external temperature is lower than the case internaltemperature and the case external temperature (in FIG. 7, when theoutside air temperature is low), the cell internal temperature isconsidered to be higher than the cell external temperature. In view ofthis, the temperature load damage calculator 212 c estimates the cellinternal temperature to be higher than the cell external temperature byextending a curve that passes through the case external temperature, thecase internal temperature, and the cell external temperature, as shownin FIG. 7.

Method for Deciding Threshold

How the threshold used by the usability determination component 213 tomake its determination is decided will be described through reference toFIGS. 8 and 9. Here, let us consider a case in which the damage factorsare physical load (acceleration, vibration, strain, and impact). Todecide on a threshold experimentally, with a physical load is applied tothe battery 10, and the values sensed by the acceleration sensor 50, thevibration sensor 51, the strain sensor 52, and the impact sensor 53 ofthe physical load information acquisition component 11 c are eachacquired.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing examples of the sensed values acquired by thephysical load information acquisition component 11 c. As shown in FIG.8, the physical load information acquisition component 11 c acquires thesensed values for the acceleration, vibration, strain, and impact towhich the battery 10 is subjected. The maximum values for the sensedvalues during the period in which the physical load is applied arespecified as the damage factors of the battery 10. After this, thedegree of damage to the battery 10 is determined from the degree ofdamage to the structural components, support members, and so forth ofthe battery 10. This yields a set of experimental data indicating therelation between the degree of damage and a damage factor of the battery10 (sensed value for acceleration). It is further determined whether ornot a battery 10 whose degree of damage has been determined has beendamaged to the extent that it cannot continued to be used.

FIG. 9 is a graph plotting experimental data indicating the relationbetween the degree of damage and a damage factor of the battery 10(sensed value for acceleration). The experimental data shown in FIG. 9includes experimental data for batteries 10 that have been damaged tothe extent that they cannot continue to be used (in FIG. 9, theexperimental data marked “unusable”), and experimental data forbatteries 10 that have not been damaged to this extent (in FIG. 9, theexperimental data marked “usable”). As shown in FIG. 9, the thresholdfor acceleration is decided to be a value that can distinguish“unusable” experimental data from “usable” experimental data. Thethreshold of the degree of damage is decided to be a value correspondingto the threshold of acceleration, using the correlation betweenacceleration and the degree of damage.

A battery swap system 1001 in one or more embodiments of the presentinvention (hereinafter referred to as the system 1001) will now bedescribed.

The system 1001, as shown in FIG. 10, differs from the system 1 in oneor more other embodiments in that the system 1001 comprises a usagestate determination component 214 (environment information analysiscomponent). Therefore, the description will focus on this difference.Those components that are the same as in one or more other embodimentswill be numbered the same.

A controller 1021 of a battery management device 1020 in the batteryswap system 1001 shown in FIG. 10 further has the usage statedetermination component 214 in addition to the output informationacquisition component 211, the damage calculator 212, and the usabilitydetermination component 213.

The battery management device 1020 determines the usage state of thebattery 10 on the basis of the internal environment information, theexternal environment information, and the physical load informationacquired by the output information acquisition component 211.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the usage state determination processing(battery management method) in one or more embodiments. From S10 to S30,the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 is the same as FIG. 6 in one or moreembodiments.

Using the output information acquired in S30, in S40 (usage statedetermination step, environment information analysis step) the usagestate determination component 214 determines the usage state of thebattery 10 while it was out on loan. Here, the determination of theusage state is, for example, determining whether or not the user usedthe battery correctly, or whether the user used the battery correctlybut the battery was subjected to a damage factor due to an environmentalfactor, or the battery was subjected to a damage factor due to how thebattery was used by the user, etc. More specifically, it can bedetermined that the battery 10 was subjected to a damage factor becausethe user left the battery 10 exposed to the sun, or that the battery 10was subjected to a damage factor because the outside air temperaturerose to an unforeseen temperature. The usage state determinationcomponent 214 may also determine the usage state on the basis of anindex that indicates the usage state calculated by the damage calculator212.

Next, in S50, the display component 22 displays the determined usagestate. A display is not the only option here, and the battery managementdevice 1020 may have a communication component, and the determined usagestate may be sent to a portable information terminal (smart phone,tablet, etc.) owned by the user. For example, when the usage statedetermination component 214 determines that damage has been caused bythe user, a warning or the like may be sent to the portable informationterminal of the user.

Usage State Determination Example 1

As shown in FIG. 2A, a configuration in which the sunlight sensors 41are disposed on the outside of the case 17 of the battery 10 and thecase internal temperature sensors 30 are disposed on the inside of thecase 17 will be described as an example.

The usage state determination component 214 determines the cause for thetemperature information on the basis of the sensed values from thesunlight sensors 41 and the sensed values from the case internaltemperature sensors 30. More specifically, when the values from the caseinternal temperature sensors 30 have risen, the usage statedetermination component 214 can determine from the values sensed by thesunlight sensors 41 whether the increase in the temperature inside thecase 17 is “due to the battery 10 being left in sunlight” or is “due toa rise in the outside air temperature.”

When the temperature rise is “due to the battery 10 being left insunlight,” the usage state determination component 214 displays awarning on the display component 22. The battery management device 1020may comprise a communication component, and a warning may be sent to aportable information terminal (smart phone, tablet, etc.) of the user.

On the other hand, when the temperature information is “due to a rise inthe outside air temperature,” the usage state determination component214 does not give a display or a notification to the user since there isa limit to what can be done on the user side.

When we say that the usage state determination component 214 determinesthe usage state on the basis of an index indicating the usage statecalculated by the damage calculator 212, it means, for example, thatsunlight exposure time is converted into an index to calculate thedegree of damage, and when the degree of damage due to sunlight exposuretime is at or over a specific length of time, the user is determined tobe the cause.

Also, the cell external temperature sensors 31 may be further providedas sensors of the temperature inside the case 17, in addition to thecase internal temperature sensors 30. That is, different kinds ofsensors may be provided outside and inside the case 17, and a pluralityof sensors of the same type may be provided inside the case 17.

Usage State Determination Example 2

As shown in FIG. 2A, a configuration in which a submergence sensor 32(second submergence sensor) is disposed in the electronic board housingcase 19, and another submergence sensor 32 (first submergence sensor) isdisposed in the cell housing case 18 will be described as an example.

The usage state determination component 214 can determine which regionin the battery 10 was submerged, and make an evaluation of the floodingrange. For example, when the electronic board housing case 19 has beenflooded, but the cell housing case 18 has not been flooded, theelectronic board 16 a is replaced, but there is a high probability thatthe cells 12 can be checked and reused. On the other hand, when the cellhousing case 18 is flooded, it will be necessary to replace the cells12.

Thus, the usage state determination component 214 can determine thestate of submersion, which is helpful in repair and replacement. Thesubmergence sensors 32 may also be disposed on the outside of the cellhousing case 18 and the inside of the case 17.

Also, when a plurality of submergence sensors 32 are attached, degree ofdamage values may be set for water incursion into the case 17, for waterincursion into the electronic board housing case 19, and for waterincursion into the cell housing case 18, and the degree of damagecalculated.

Example Using Software

The control blocks (particularly the output information acquisitioncomponent 211, the damage calculator 212, the usability determinationcomponent 213, and the usage state determination component 214) of thebattery management devices 20 and 1020 may be realized by a logiccircuit formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like(hardware), or by software using a CPU (central processing unit).

In the latter case, the battery management devices 20 and 1020 comprisea CPU that executes the commands of a program, which is software forcarrying out various functions, a ROM (read only memory) or a storagedevice (these are referred to as “recording media”) in which theabove-mentioned program and various kinds of data are recorded so as tobe readable by a computer (or CPU), a RAM (random access memory) fordeveloping the program, etc. The computer (or CPU) then reads theprogram from the recording medium and executes the program. Therecording medium can be a “non-transitory tangible medium,” such as atape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, or programmable logic circuit.Also, the above-mentioned program may be supplied to the computer viaany transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (acommunication network, a broadcast wave, etc.). One or more embodimentsof the present invention can also be realized in the form of a datasignal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied byelectronic transmission.

One or more embodiments of the present invention were described above,but the present invention is not limited to or by the above embodiments,and various modifications are possible without departing from the gistof the invention.

(A)

With the systems 1 and 1001 in one or more of the above embodiments, thephysical load information acquisition component 11 c is provided inaddition to the external environment information acquisition component11 b and the internal environment information acquisition component 11a, but the physical load information acquisition component 11 c need notbe provided.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a battery swap system 2001 (hereinafterreferred to as the system 2001) in which the physical load informationacquisition component 11 c is not provided. The system 2001 shown inFIG. 12 comprises a battery 2010 and a battery management device 2020. Adamage factor information acquisition component 2011 of the battery 2010differs from the damage factor information acquisition component 11 ofthe battery 1010 shown in FIG. 10 in that the physical load informationacquisition component 11 c is not provided, but the internal environmentinformation acquisition component 11 a and the external environmentinformation acquisition component 11 b are provided. Also, a damagecalculator 2212 provided to a controller 2021 of the battery managementdevice 2020 differs from the damage calculator 212 of the batterymanagement device 1020 shown in FIG. 10 in that the physical load damagecalculator 212 d is not provided, and only the water wetting damagecalculator 212 a, the electronic load damage calculator 212 b, and thetemperature load damage calculator 212 c are provided.

That is, with the system 2001, information about the environment on theinside and the outside of the case 17 of the battery 2010 is acquired bythe various sensors had by the internal environment informationacquisition component 11 a and the external environment informationacquisition component 11 b, and is stored in the storage component 15.The battery management device 2020 then acquires the stored informationabout the internal and external environments, the degree of damage iscalculated by the damage calculator 2212, and it is determined whetherthe battery is usable. Also, the battery management device 2020 uses theacquired information about the internal and external environments todetermine the usage state with the usage state determination component214.

(B)

With the systems 1 and 1001 in one or more of the above embodiments, theexternal environment information acquisition component 11 b, theinternal environment information acquisition component 11 a, and thephysical load information acquisition component 11 c were provided, butthe external environment information acquisition component 11 b and thephysical load information acquisition component 11 c need not beprovided. A battery swap system 3001 such as this (hereinafter referredto as the system 3001) is shown in FIG. 13. The system 3001 comprises abattery 3010 and the battery management device 2020 shown in FIG. 12.The battery 3010 comprises an internal environment informationacquisition component 11 a as a damage factor information acquisitioncomponent.

With the system 3001, internal environment information about the case 17of the battery 3010 is acquired by the various sensors included in theinternal environment information acquisition component 11 a and storedin the storage component 15. The battery management device 2020 thenacquires the stored internal environment information and calculates thedegree of damage with the damage calculator 2212 to determine whether ornot the battery can be used. The battery management device 2020 alsouses the acquired internal environment information to determine theusage state with the usage state determination component 214.

(C)

With the systems 1 and 1001 in one or more of the above embodiments, theexternal environment information acquisition component 11 b, theinternal environment information acquisition component 11 a, and thephysical load information acquisition component 11 c were provided, butthe internal environment information acquisition component 11 a and thephysical load information acquisition component 11 c need not beprovided. A battery swap system 4001 such as this (hereinafter referredto as the system 4001) is shown in FIG. 14. The system 4001 comprises abattery 4010 and the battery management device 2020 shown in FIG. 12.The battery 4010 comprises the external environment informationacquisition component 11 b as a damage factor information acquisitioncomponent.

With the system 4001, external environment information about the case 17of the battery 4010 is acquired by the various sensors included in theexternal environment information acquisition component 11 b and isstored in the storage component 15. The battery management device 2020then acquires the stored external environment information and calculatesthe degree of damage with the damage calculator 2212 to determinewhether or not the battery can be used. The battery management device2020 also uses the acquired external environment information todetermine the usage state with the usage state determination component214.

(D)

With the systems 1 and 1001 in one or more of the above embodiments, thephysical load information, the external environment information, and theinternal environment information acquired by the damage factorinformation acquisition component 11 are stored in the storage component15 via the information accumulator 14, but this is not the only option.For example, with the battery 5010 of the battery swap system 5001 shownin FIG. 15, the physical load information, the external environmentinformation, and the internal environment information acquired by thedamage factor information acquisition component 11 are sent in real timeby a communication component 5017 to the battery management device 20.The output information acquisition component 211 of the batterymanagement device 20 is configured to be able to communicate wirelesslywith a communication component 5017. The battery management device 20calculates the degree of damage for damage factor information that issequentially transmitted.

Instead of real-time communication, the configuration may be such thatthe storage component 15 is provided along with the communicationcomponent 5017 to the battery 5010, and information for a specificlength of time is stored in the storage component 15 and thentransmitted.

Also, in the battery swap system 5001 shown in FIG. 15, the controller21 (information processing device) of the battery management device 20may be a virtual server in a cloud computing system. In this case, thephysical load information, the external environment information, and theinternal environment information are sent from the communicationcomponent 5017 to the cloud computing system. The information is thenanalyzed at the virtual server, and the user can obtain the analysisresult by accessing the cloud computing system.

(E)

In one or more of the above embodiments, the battery 10 and the batterymanagement device 20 were described as being configured separately, butin an modification example, the battery 10 (at least the damage factorinformation acquisition component 11 of the battery 10) and the batterymanagement device 20 may be configured integrally as a battery damagecalculation device. The battery damage calculation device pertaining tothis modification example comprises the external environment informationacquisition component 11 b that acquires specific environmentinformation on the outside of the case 17 (outer case) of the battery10, the internal environment information acquisition component 11 a thatacquires corresponding environment information, and the damagecalculator 212 that uses the specific environment information and thecorresponding environment information to calculate the degree of damageto the battery 10.

(F)

The systems 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001 of one or more of the aboveembodiments comprised usage state determination component 214, thedamage calculator 212, and the usability determination component 213,but the damage calculator 212 and the usability determination component213 need not be provided. In this case, only the determination of theusage state is performed.

(G)

Although not specifically mentioned in one or more of the aboveembodiments, the battery management devices 20, 1020, and 2020 may beprovided to a station from which the batteries 10 are loaned out, systemthat manages a plurality of stations, etc. The display component 22 ofthe battery management devices 20, 1020, and 2020 may utilize the screenof a smart phone, a tablet, or the like owned by the user.

(H)

The layout of the various sensors shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D in one or moreembodiments is just an example, and the layout and number of the varioussensors may be changed as needed.

(I)

In one or more of the above embodiments, the cell housing case 18 forhousing a plurality of cells, and the electronic board housing case 19for housing the electronic board 16 a were provided, but one or both ofthese may be eliminated.

(J)

The battery management device 20 of one or more embodiments abovecomprised the output information acquisition component 211, the damagecalculator 212, and the usability determination component 213, but theusability determination component 213 need not be provided, and thebattery management device 20 may function as a battery damagecalculation device.

(K)

In one or more of the above embodiments, an electric car or other suchvehicle is an example of the power consuming unit in which the batteries10, 2010, 3010, 4010, and 5010 loaned out from the systems 1, 1001,2001, 3001, 4001, and 5001 are installed. More specifically, examples ofvehicles (move body) include the above-mentioned electric cars (EVs),electric motorcycles, electric unicycles, electric bicycles,motor-assisted bicycles, and PHVs (plug-in hybrid vehicles).

Also, the power consuming unit in which the battery is installed is notlimited to a move body, and may also be other electrical products thatare driven by exchangeable batteries. Examples of these electricalproducts include refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, ricecookers, electric kettles, and other such household appliances that runon power from a battery.

Furthermore, the power consuming unit in which the battery is installedmay be a power tool. In this case, the battery used in the power toolmay be charged at a battery station or the like where a plurality ofbatteries that can be loaned out are charged.

Although the disclosure has been described with respect to only alimited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefitof this disclosure, will appreciate that various other embodiments maybe devised without departing from the scope of the present invention.Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by theattached claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The pressure information can be utilized in a battery.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   10 battery    -   11 a internal environment information acquisition component    -   11 b external environment information acquisition component    -   17 case (outer case)    -   21 controller (information processing device)    -   211 output information acquisition component (battery        environment information acquisition component)    -   212 damage calculator

The invention claimed is:
 1. A battery, comprising: one or more cells;an outer case that houses the one or more cells; an external environmentinformation acquisition component that measures external environmentinformation on an outside of the outer case; and an internal environmentinformation acquisition component that measures internal environmentinformation on an inside of the outer case; and an output component thatcommunicates at least one of the external environment information andthe internal environment information via a wired or wireless connectionto a battery management device, wherein at least one of the externalenvironment information and the internal environment information is usedto perform at least one of: environment information analysis,calculation of degree of damage to the battery, and determination of ausability of the battery, and the battery is carried in alone in asystem in which a plurality of batteries are to be loaned out.
 2. Thebattery according to claim 1, wherein the external environmentinformation acquisition component and the internal environmentinformation acquisition component are same type of sensor.
 3. Thebattery according to claim 2, wherein the external environmentinformation acquisition component comprises one or more temperaturesensors, the external environment information is temperature on theoutside of the outer case, the internal environment informationacquisition component comprises one or more temperature sensors, and theinternal environment information is temperature on the inside of theouter case.
 4. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the externalenvironment information acquisition component and the internalenvironment information acquisition component are different types ofsensor.
 5. The battery according to claim 4, wherein the externalenvironment information acquisition component comprises one or moresunlight sensors, the external environment information is an amount ofsunlight on the outer case, the internal environment informationacquisition component has one or more temperature sensors, and theinternal environment information is temperature on the inside of theouter case.
 6. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the internalenvironment information acquisition component comprises a plurality ofinternal environment information acquisition sensors disposed betweenthe cells and walls of the outer case.
 7. The battery according to claim6, further comprising a cell housing case disposed on the inside of theouter case and formed so as to surround the one or more cells, whereinat least one of the internal environment information acquisition sensorsis disposed near the cells and on the inside of the cell housing case,and at least one of the internal environment information acquisitionsensors is disposed on the inside of the outer case and on the outsideof the cell housing case.
 8. The battery according to claim 1, furthercomprising a communication component that sends the external environmentinformation measured by the external environment information acquisitioncomponent and the internal environment information measured by theinternal environment information acquisition component to an informationprocessing device that analyzes environment information about thebattery.
 9. The battery according to claim 8, wherein the informationprocessing device is a virtual server in cloud computing.
 10. A system,comprising: the battery according to claim 1; and an informationprocessing device, wherein the information processing device comprises:a battery environment information acquisition component that acquiresthe external environment information from the external environmentinformation acquisition component and the internal environmentinformation from the internal environment information acquisitioncomponent; an environment information analysis component that uses theexternal environment information and the internal environmentinformation acquired by the battery environment information acquisitioncomponent to analyze environment information about the battery, and anoutput device that outputs results of analyzing environmentalinformation.
 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein theenvironment information analysis component comprises a damage calculatorthat uses the external environment information and the internalenvironment information acquired by the battery environment informationacquisition component to calculate degree of damage to the battery, andwherein the degree of damage to the battery is output via the outputdevice.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the environmentinformation analysis component further comprises a usabilitydetermination component that determines whether or not the battery canbe used, on the basis of the degree of damage calculated by the damagecalculator, and wherein usability of the battery is output via theoutput device.
 13. The system according to claim 10, wherein theenvironment information analysis component comprises a usage statedetermination component that uses the external environment informationand the internal environment information acquired by the batteryenvironment information acquisition component to determine a usage stateof the battery, and wherein the usage state of the battery is output viathe output device.
 14. The system according to claim 10, wherein theexternal environment information acquisition component comprises atemperature sensor, the external environment information is temperatureon the outside of the outer case, the internal environment informationacquisition component comprises one or more temperature sensors disposedbetween the cells and walls of the outer case, the internal environmentinformation is temperature on the inside of the outer case, and theenvironment information analysis component estimates temperature of thecells on the basis of the values sensed by the temperature sensor had bythe external environment information acquisition component and thetemperature sensor had by the internal environment informationacquisition component.
 15. A battery management method for managing abattery comprising one or more cells, an outer case that houses the oneor more cells, an external environment information acquisitioncomponent, and an internal environment information acquisitioncomponent, the battery management method comprising: an environmentinformation acquisition that measures external environment informationon an outside of the outer case using the external environmentinformation acquisition component and internal environment informationon an inside using the internal environment information acquisitioncomponent; an environment information analysis that uses the externalenvironment information and the internal environment informationacquired in the environment information acquisition to analyzeenvironment information about the battery; and outputting, via an outputdevice, results of analyzing environmental information, wherein thebattery is carried in alone in a system in which a plurality ofbatteries are to be loaned out.
 16. The battery management methodaccording to claim 15, wherein the environment information analysisfurther comprises a usage state determination that uses the externalenvironment information and the internal environment informationacquired in the environment information acquisition to determine a usagestate of the battery.
 17. The battery management method according toclaim 15, wherein the external environment information is temperature onthe outside of the outer case, the internal environment information istemperature on the inside of the outer case, and the environmentinformation analysis further comprises: a cell interior temperatureestimation that uses the temperature on the outside of the outer caseand the temperature on the inside of the outer case acquired in theenvironment information acquisition to estimate temperature on theinside of the cells; and a degree of damage calculation that calculatesa degree of damage to the battery from a result of estimating thetemperature on the inside of the cells in the cell interior temperatureestimation.
 18. A battery management program for managing a batterycomprising one or more cells, an outer case that houses the one or morecells, an external environment information acquisition component, and aninternal environment information acquisition component, wherein thebattery management program causes a computer to execute a batterymanagement method comprising: an environment information acquisitionthat measures external environment information on an outside of thebattery using the external environment information acquisition componentand internal environment information on an inside using the internalenvironment information acquisition component; an environmentinformation analysis that uses the external environment information andthe internal environment information acquired in the environmentinformation acquisition to analyze environment information about thebattery; and outputting, via an output device, results of analyzingenvironmental information, wherein the battery is carried alone in asystem in which a plurality of batteries are to be loaned out.
 19. Anon-transitory computer readable recording medium to which the batterymanagement program according to claim 18 is recorded, and which isconfigured to be processed by a computer.